OUR INSTRUCTORS
Whether you’re brand new or have been playing for years, our instructors are all about meeting you where you are and making music something you genuinely enjoy coming back to.
Scott Stephens
Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, beginner lap steel, music theory
Scott is a professional musician with over 40 years of performance experience and over 24 years of teaching experience. He’s performed in bands, in musical theater productions, and with professional traveling artists.
“Music has always been in the family,” says Scott, whose earliest performances were with his grandmother and aunt at their church.
Known for his patient, encouraging teaching style, Scott takes the time to work with each student at their own pace, making sure they feel comfortable and confident every step of the way.
“My teaching approach is centered on the genres that inspire my students,” he says. “Whether you are interested in blues, rock, pop, country, bluegrass, folk, jazz, or classical guitar, I am committed to helping you master the style that resonates with you.”
Scott’s musical influences started with family members — “but then Led Zeppelin got ahold of me,” he says. From there, his tastes expanded to include a wide range of styles and traditions, drawing inspiration from classical, jazz, and rock guitarists and music from across the globe, including Middle Eastern and Asian influences.
Outside of music, he enjoys attending live shows, cooking, and hiking. If given the chance to jam with any musician, it would be Jimmy Page. His “desert island” album — the one record he’d never get tired of — is Led Zeppelin IV.
Steve Barker
Drums, marching percussion
Steve has taught drums for the past 27 years. He got his start in music the same way most people do: his mom put “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins on the record player.
Steve’s teaching style is built on real-world methods that work.
“My teaching philosophy and methods hinge on the fact that I am in no way a naturally gifted musician,” he says. “I’ve had to take the long way around to get to a certain level of competency. If that method worked for me, through the things I gleaned from my former bandmates, musical mentors, professors, and my Uncle Mike, it’ll work for just about anyone.”
Steve studied music education in college and has been performing live since 1995. He’s recorded 21 records and has played in numerous local theater productions.
For 13 years, Steve served as a drumline instructor and assistant band director at South Charleston, St. Albans, and Sissonville High Schools. During that time, he helped over 400 students make their high school drumlines and had more than 100 earn all-county, district, or state honors.
You can find Steve on YouTube at @JunkdrummerTV, where he has more than 41,000 subscribers and 7.5 million views. He’s the author of The Reading Method, a rhythm reading book that has sold around 1,000 copies.
His favorite part of teaching is seeing students reach their goals.
“Helping students get to the same milestones that I did in my own journey is as rewarding as when I was accomplishing them myself,” he says.
Sean Dunaway
Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, classical guitar, music theory
Sean is a guitar instructor with more than 24 years of teaching experience and a lifelong connection to music that started early and never let up. Largely self-taught, his first structured musical experience came through the Russell High School Chorus, where he sang for four years and studied music theory and history.
Around age 12, his dad bought him his first guitar — a Yamaha acoustic — after seeing how drawn he was to rock and roll. Not long after, he got his first electric, a Hondo II Iceman.
“That guitar was junk,” he says, “but I loved it.”
His musical influences took hold early. Queen’s A Night at the Opera was the first popular album he owned, and Brian May’s guitar playing left a lasting impression. Around the same time, seeing classical guitarist Liona Boyd perform Vivaldi’s Guitar Concerto in D Major on public television opened up a whole new side of the instrument for him. He continued that path at Morehead State University, where he studied classical guitar and sight reading.
As a teacher, his goal is to help students grow in confidence and in their love of music.
“My deepest wish as a teacher is that my students will grow to share my love of music, and I strive to help them play the guitar the way that makes them proud of their own accomplishments,” he says. “I want them confident enough that they will proudly say, 'I am a guitarist and a musician.’”
Mike Collins
Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin, ukulele
Mike has been playing guitar since age 10 and performing in bands since age 14, building a lifelong career in music that spans more than four decades. A graduate of the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, he has been teaching privately since 1984, bringing 42 years of experience to his students.
Mike’s approach to teaching goes beyond just learning songs or technique. Students can expect a strong foundation in the mechanics of their instrument, along with a deeper understanding of how music actually works. He emphasizes developing the ear — learning to recognize and connect musical sounds — and helping students relate that to reading music if they choose.
“I am fascinated by how music itself actually works, and I try to convey that to the students,” he says. “I also enjoy seeing students discover their own creativity.”
Mike draws inspiration from a wide range of styles, including jazz, pop/rock, country, bluegrass, and classical. Two guitarists stand out in particular: Pat Metheny, for his ability to let musical ideas flow naturally from heart to hands, and George Harrison, for his melodic sense and thoughtful approach to composition. If given the chance to play with any musician, he’d choose jazz fusion violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, and not just for his musicianship.
“He is not only a great musician, but a humble person,” he says.
Outside of music, Mike enjoys bike riding and keeps a casual interest in local economic development and infrastructure projects.
Jason Dandelet
Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, classical guitar, bass guitar, ukulele
Jason has been playing music for more than 20 years and brings over a decade of teaching experience to his students.
“Growing up, I always loved the sound of electric guitar, which prompted my initial interest in music,” he says. “When I was around 10 years old, my parents bought me an electric guitar for Christmas. I loved it and never looked back.”
Jason earned his B.F.A. in Music Performance from Marshall University in 2018. He has played in numerous bands, recorded albums, and performed live across both North and South America. Those experiences shape his teaching, giving students practical insight into both musicianship and real-world performance.
His teaching philosophy is centered on meeting students where they are and helping them get where they want to go.
“Learning an instrument is life-changing because of the discipline and dedication it teaches,” he says. “That is worth so much over the course of a lifetime.”
Jason draws inspiration from a wide range of musicians, including John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, David Gilmour, and Jaco Pastorius. Their styles — from technical precision to expressive restraint — shape how he approaches both performance and instruction.
Outside of music, Jason enjoys fitness, spending time outdoors, art, and horror movies.
Burcu Dö
Voice, piano, violin
Burcu, a.k.a. "Ms. B," earned her B.A. in Education from Uludag University in Turkey and attended Italian opera singing workshops in Rimini and Padova, Italy. An accomplished violinist and vocalist, Burcu has represented Turkey internationally and toured Europe as a first violinist with the Chamber Music Orchestra. She holds an M.A. in Music and Voice Performance from Marshall University, where she received the Eloise Campbell Prize and performed lead soprano roles in university productions.
Mark Smith
Voice, piano
Mark is a professional touring musician with more than 40 years of experience performing, teaching, and working in the music industry. Over the course of his career, he’s been actively involved in countless musical theater productions.
His musical journey began at age 9 with piano lessons (not exactly by choice).
“I started taking piano lessons because Mom said, ‘You will take piano lessons.’ And I’ve never stopped,” he says.
That early start turned into a lifelong career of performing and teaching at a professional level.
As an instructor, Mark brings a high-energy, hands-on approach to lessons that he describes as fun, physical, exciting, and “a little crazy,” while also grounded in the practical skills that working singers and musicians use every day.
“I love to watch growth in every student and the excitement when they hit something spectacular,” he says.
Mark’s first inspiration came from The Monkees. While his musical tastes have expanded since then, that original drive to play and perform has never gone away. He cites Frank Zappa as a major influence — “very original, and a greatly underappreciated musician,” he says — and could listen to Michael Romeo’s War of the Worlds on repeat.
Outside of music, Mark has a well-known appreciation for “horribly bad” movies and maintains a large collection of them.
One of his favorite teaching moments is the look on a student’s face when they realize — to their surprise — that he might actually be right.
Katherine Pyles
Homeschool music class
Katherine has been playing piano for 34 years and organ for 13. New to teaching music but not to teaching, she’s a former homeschool mom to her three kids. At their homeschool co-op, she taught language arts to students in grades 4-6.
Katherine’s homeschool music classes focus on learning music through doing — moving, playing, creating, and exploring.